A biased look at psychology in the world

August 07, 2007

Do Abused Children Grow Up to Be Criminals?

In a study reported in a recent issue of Violence and Victims (Volume 22, issue 3), a sample of 1,526 young men (14 to 24 years) in the German prison system were assessed. The sample participants were questioned about their history of early victimization and offense history and given standardized testing during their prison term. The results show that experience of abuse as a child doubles the risk for violent victimization in adolescence. Offenders who were repeatedly victimized as adolescents were also found to be at increased risk for later violent offending. This link was found both for officially registered violence and self-reported violent behavior. Experience of child abuse was found to increase the likelihood of self-reported violence as well. One interesting result was the presence of an interaction effect involving victimization in childhood and victimization in early adolescence. Sample participants who reported having been repeatedly victimized throughout the early life cycle were found to be slightly less likely to be a frequent offender than those who were victimized during only one part of their childhood. These findings demonstrate the critical need for early identification and intervention to reduce the risk of later violent offending.